Kevin’s Day-Trip Travels! Episode 1: Charleston, SC
As a native Charlottean (one of the few there are) the one thing I hear from people most is how nice it is to be so close to both the mountains and the beach. This is certainly true and one of the main things I love about this city. What being close to both the beach and the mountains brings is lots of amazing day trip opportunities. In today's blog, we are going to talk about my personal favorite day-trip location: Charleston, SC.
First, the drive from Charlotte to Charleston is an easy 3-hour trip that is mainly on major interstates. You will take I-77 down to Columbia and then merge onto I-26 East and take that all the way to Charleston, super easy right? Once arriving in Charleston parking in the city can be tricky I recommend finding a parking garage close to King Street and just paying for that.
Once on King Street, you will find everything Charleston has to offer. Beautiful Architecture, World Class Restaurants, and some of the best shopping in the southeast. Charleston has a very historic feel to it with a lot of its buildings dating back to the 1700's. The charm of that definitely shows when walking around the town. I recommend just exploring the city center for a few hours to take in all this city has to offer from the cobblestone streets to the willow oak tree-filled parks. Stop in for a scoop of ice cream at one of the many ice cream shops in the downtown area or for a beer at one of the local rooftop restaurants.
What would be a trip to Charleston without going to the beach though? While you have to drive a little bit out of the city center to find the beaches here they are well worth the drive. Sullivan's Island is definitely the first beach I recommend going to visit in your stay in Charleston. The beaches are some of the nicest in the area and are way less crowded than the Isle of Palms. Sullivan's Island also has many great spots to eat lunch or get ice cream which is perfect for a day at the beach. The second beach location I would recommend would be Isle of Palms. Last 4th of July this is where I went and I don't recommend going on the busiest beach holiday of the year (not my best idea haha) as it will be insanely packed but this town still has a ton to offer even when it is crazy busy! Isle of Palms has amazing beachfront homes, beautiful beaches and great shops so even if you can't avoid the crowds it is definitely worth visiting for at least an afternoon.
Charleston is also known for its amazing food with many great eateries throughout the city ranging from 5-star restaurants to local hole in the wall spots. My favorite spot personally is East Bay Deli in downtown Charleston. This local Deli has some of the best sandwiches around and something on the menu for just about everyone (my personal recommendation is The Citadel Sandwich). The atmosphere is also very laid back and is close enough to King Street where you can walk right to it! Another must-try fast casual eatery in the Charleston area is Come Back Shack (not to be confused with the overrated Shake Shack). I haven't been to the Charleston location yet as it just opened but I've been to the original location in Boone and it is a great spot if you are craving anything in the Burgers, Chicken Tenders, Milkshake categories!
Also, don’t forget to catch a Riverdogs Baseball game while you are in town as the ballpark looks over the intercoastal waterway and is a great atmosphere for a minor league ball game (Fun fact the team is part-owned by legendary actor Bill Murray). Those are just a few of the activities I recommend doing on a trip to Charleston. There is so much more this city has to offer though so take a trip yourself and experience this great city firsthand!